Property Tax Professionals Frequently Asked Questions

Registration

Certification requirements

REGISTRATION

What does the Property Tax Professionals program do?
Who must be registered with TDLR as a Property Tax Professional?
What are the requirements to be registered with TDLR as a Property Tax Professional?
How do I register with TDLR to become a Property Tax Professional?
What are the initial application fees?
When does my registration expire?
How do I renew my registration?
What are the registration renewal fees?
My registration has expired. How long do I have to renew my registration?
Can I place my registration in an "Inactive" status?
How do I change my registration back from "Inactive" to "Active" registration?
What if I have a different employer?
How can I verify my change of employer?
I am temporarily not employed by a taxing entity, how do I provide TDLR with an updated address?
What if I changed my name or need a duplicate registration or need my registration reprinted?
Where can I find the Property Tax Professionals (PTP) forms?
How do I find out if a person is registered?

1. What does the Property Tax Professionals program do?

The Property Tax Professionals program registers and regulates all of the property tax appraisers, assessor/collectors and collectors in the state of Texas.

2. Who must be registered with TDLR as a Property Tax Professional?

Section 1151.151(a) of the Occupation Code states:

(a) The following persons must register with TDLR:

1. The chief appraiser of an appraisal district, an appraisal supervisor or assistant, a property tax appraiser, an appraisal engineer, and any other person authorized to render judgment on, recommend, or certify an appraised value to the appraisal review board of an appraisal district;

2. A person who engages in appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes for an appraisal district or a taxing unit;

3. An assessor-collector, a collector, or another person designated by a governing body as the chief administrator of the taxing unit's assessment functions, collection functions, or both; and

4. A person who performs assessment or collection functions for a taxing unit and is required to register by the chief administrator of the unit's tax office.

(b) A county assessor-collector is not required to register with the Department if the county, by contract entered into under Section 6.24(b), Tax Code) has its taxes assessed and collected by another taxing unit or an appraisal district.

3. What are the requirements to be registered with TDLR as a Property Tax Professional?

To be eligible to register as a Property Tax Professional with TDLR, an individual must be:

At least 18 years old
A resident of the state of Texas
Of good moral character
A graduate of an accredited high school or have a high school GED
Actively engaged in the appraisal, assessment, or collection of ad valorem taxes.

4. How do I register with TDLR to become a Property Tax Professional?

After you obtain employment with a taxing entity:

Download the Property Tax Professional application
Attach supporting documentation and the required fees
Mail all to: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Attn: Licensing, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, Texas 78711

5. What are the initial application fees?

Appraiser $105
Collector $105
Assessor/Collector $105

All fees are non-refundable, except as otherwise provided by law.

6. When does my registration expire?

Your registration expires one year from the date the registration was issued. Expirations are staggered throughout the year. Your expiration date is printed on your registration card.

7. How do I renew my registration?

Step 1: You will be mailed a renewal form to your personal address TDLR has on file 65 days prior to your individual expiration date.

Step 2: Go online to the TDLR website to renew your registration and pay your fee with a credit card. (Renewing online reduces the cost of processing your renewal and helps keep license fees low.)

If you would rather pay by check, you must complete the paper renewal form and mail it to TDLR with a check for the renewal fee.

A CAD or other employer may return multiple renewal forms together and pay with one check. TDLR will not accept renewal fees without the completed renewal form. If paying multiple renewals with one check, make sure the check is for the correct amount to avoid delays.

8. What are the registration renewal fees?

Appraiser $55.00 (On-Time Renewal); $82.50 (1-90 days late); $110.00 (90 days – 18 months late)
Collector $55.00 (On-Time Renewal); $82.50 (1-90 days late); $110.00 (90 days – 18 months late)
Assessor/Collector $55.00 (On-Time Renewal); $82.50 (1-90 days late); $110.00 (90 days – 18 months late)

NOTE: All renewal fees are non-refundable.

9. My registration has expired. How long do I have to renew my registration?

You have 18 months from your expiration date to renew your registration.

If your registration has been expired for more than 18 months but less than three years, you may submit a "Request to Executive Director for Expired License Renewal" form with the required renewal fee and have taken the required Continuing Education courses.

If your registration has been expired for more than three years you may not renew your registration. You must apply for a new registration.

10. Can I place my registration in an “Inactive” status?

Yes, you may by completing the “Change of Status” form on the PTP Forms web page. There is no fee associated with going “Inactive,” but you will be required to renew your registration annually and pay the renewal fee of $55 annually while in the “Inactive” status.

11. How do change my registration back from “Inactive” to “Active” registration?

Complete the “Change of Status” form on the PTP Forms page and pay the fee of $25. But before your registration will be issued by TDLR as an active registration, you must complete the required continuing education courses and hours.

12. What if I have a different employer?

If you have changed employer, you and your employer should notify TDLR within 30 days by downloading, then completing the Change Employer Form.

Your new employer must complete the lower portion of the form. You may scan and e-mail the completed form to cs.tax.professionals@license.state.tx.us or fax it to 512-475-2871 or mail it to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Attn: Licensing, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, TX 78711.

13. How can I verify my change of employer?

Thirty days after you have submitted the Change Employer Form you may verify your change by going to the Property Tax Professionals Renewal Status Search Page and secure a listing of all the taxing entity’s employees then find your name is on the list.

14. I am temporarily not employed by a taxing entity, how do I provide TDLR with an updated address?

If you are no longer employed by taxing entities employment, but want to provide TDLR an alternative address, download and complete the Unsponsored Property Tax Professional Contact Information Form.

If you intend to maintain your PTP registration, you should keep your personal contact information current with TDLR.

You may scan and e-mail the completed form to cs.tax.professionals@license.state.tx.us or fax it to 512-475-2871 or mail it to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Attn: Licensing, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, TX 78711.

15. What if I changed my name or need a duplicate registration or need my registration reprinted?

If you have lost your registration or need to make a name change on your registration, select the Duplicate Registration Request form on the Forms page. Your registration will be reprinted for a fee of $25. If you are registered in two or more fields, you should send a form in for each field along with the fee for each field.

16. Where can I find the Property Tax Professionals (PTP) forms?

PTP forms may be downloaded from the Property Tax Professionals Forms page.

17. How do I find out if a person is registered as a Property Tax Professional?

All TDLR registrants or licensees can be located in TDLR’s licensing database.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

How do I become certified?
Do I have time deadlines to progress and achieve Certification?
How long do I have to achieve my certification?
How quickly may I become certified?
If I am certified in one field, may I become certified in another field?
If I am a “Licensed or Certified” appraiser by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB), what are the requirements for me to become Certified as an Class 4 Appraiser?
How do I maintain my certification?
I was certified but left the business for more than 3 years and didn’t keep my registration or continuing education current, can I regain my certification?
If I am certified and need to renew my registration, do I have to complete my continuing education before I renew my registration?
Can I get additional time to complete my certification by requesting an extension of time?
Can I regain a portion of my certification time by requesting a “Break In Service” time credit, if I were not employed by a taxing entity during my certification time?

1. What do I have to do to become certified?

There are three fields (appraisal, assessing/collecting and collecting only); each has its own requirements. The education and examination requirement for each certification is located on the Property Tax Professionals Education web page.

2. Do I have time deadlines to progress and achieve certification?

There are interim time deadlines, required education and examinations for each field of the Property Tax Professional program.

3. How long do I have to achieve my certification?

If you chose to pursue the Appraiser (RPA) or the Assessor (RTA) certifications, you have a maximum of 5 years from the original registration issuance date to achieve your certification. (Example: Your registration at TDLR was 10/31/2011. The deadline for you to achieve certification is 10/31/2016).

If you chose the Collector certification, you have a maximum of 3 years. (Example: Your registration at TDLR was 10/31/2011. The deadline for you to achieve certification is 10/31/2014.)

4. How quickly may I become certified?

Candidates for Class 4 Appraisers (RPA) and Assessors (RTA) may become certified after a minimum of 3 years of experience. Candidates for Class 3 Collectors (RTC) must have a minimum of 2 years of experience. All core education and examinations must be satisfactorily completed.

5. If I am certified in one field, may I become certified in another field?

Yes, you may make application in an additional field. Each field’s registration stands alone and will have a different expiration date along with requirements and examination. If your intent is to maintain your initial certification, you must keep your required continuing education current in your initial field.

6. If I am a “Licensed or Certified” appraiser by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB), what are the requirements for me to become certified as a Class 4 Appraiser?

As of September 1, 2011, appraisers who are active “Licensed or Certified” appraisers by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) may achieve TDLR Class 4 Appraiser (RPA) certification:

If not currently registered with TDLR, by;

submitting the PTP application for a Class 1 Appraiser registration,
providing your active TALCB License # in Box 13,
paying the appropriate fee, and
passing TDLR’s Class 4 Appraiser required examination.

If currently registered with TDLR, by;

submitting a request by email, CS.Tax.Professionals@license.state.tx.us , or mail (Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, ATTN: Licensing, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, Texas 78711),
providing your active TALCB License #, and
passing TDLR’s Class 4 Appraiser required examination.

All Property Tax Professional’s certifying education and examination requirements and timelines remain in place if you are unsuccessful in passing the Class 4 examination.

7. How do I maintain my certification?

Once certified, you must fulfill your designation’s continuing education requirements to maintain your certification. The continuing education requirements are outlined on the Property Tax Professionals Continuing Education web page.

8. I was certified but left the business for more than 3 years and didn’t keep my registration or continuing education current, can I regain my certification?

For you to regain your certification (RPA, RTA or RTC), you will need to verify you were a certified property tax professional by providing a copy of your certification and certificates of core education course completions or a list of courses taken with the dates of completion.

Complete a registration application with the application fee and attach a cover letter explaining your intent with supporting documents. Also, provide your experience in the field you are applying for or attach a resume of your experience.

Upon registration you will made a Class 1 applicant and be asked to regain your certification either by;

a) Taking any currently required core curriculum courses which were not part of the curriculum when certified. Depending on when you were certified, those courses may be Professional Ethics and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices (USPAP) if an Appraiser.

b) Then you will be must successfully pass the examination, Class 3 examination for Collectors, Class 4 for the Assessor-Collector and the Class 3 and Class 4 examinations for Appraisers.

You will have the same time line to complete your education and examinations as if you were a new applicant (minimum 2 or 3 years and maximum 3 or 5 years depending on the fields). You may receive creditable time to overcome the minimum time requirements depending on the information you provide with the application.

9. If I am certified and need to renew my registration, do I have to complete my continuing education before I renew my registration?

No you don’t. In fact, TDLR recommends you renew your registration even if you have not completed the required continuing education. Your registration will not be issued until you have completed the required continuing education.

If you are a certified PTP, but continuing education requirements have not been completed within the 24 months window prior to your expiration, your registration will not be issued until you have completed the required continuing education even if you renewed your registration and paid the fee.

10. Can I get additional time to complete my certification by requesting an extension of time?

Yes, you may request an extension of time to complete your certification by completing the “One-Year Extension To Meet Property Tax Professional Registration Certification” form found on the Property Tax Professionals Forms page and paying the fee of $25.00. If this extension is granted, the extension is one year from your 3 or 5 year certification deadline date depending on the field you are registered in, not the date you request the extension.

11. Can I regain a portion of my certification time by requesting a “Break In Service” time credit, if I were not employed by a taxing entity during my certification time?

If you are not certified, you may apply for a “Break In Service” by completing a “Break In Service Credit” form located on the PTP Forms page and paying the $75 fee to regain additional time to achieve your certification. This “Break In Service” is available only if you were not employed by an ad valorem taxing entity and you were not terminated for cause. If your “Break In Service" is more than 5 years you must reapply for registration but your completed core education courses will be credited. A certified tax professional may place their registration in an “In-Active” status.

EXAMINATIONS

What examinations will I need to take?
What do I need to do to sit for my examination?
Where do I get more information about the examinations?
What are the Examination Fees?
What identification do I take to the examination?
How many times and how often can I take the examination?

1. What examinations do I need to take?

The Appraiser registrant will have a Class 3 and a Class 4 examination after completion of the education requirements.

The Assessor registrant will have a Class 4 examination after completion of the education requirements.

The Collector registrant will have a Class 3 examination after completion of the education requirements.

You may have additional examinations in your education courses, but they are not part of the classification requirements.

2. What do I need to do to sit for my examination?

Examinations are administered by TDLR’s third party vendor, PSI. PSI offers examinations daily at 22 locations throughout Texas and additional sites across the country. See the Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) for more information.

After you complete the educational requirements for each classification (and those have been recorded with TDLR), the department will notify PSI that you are eligible to sit for an examination. PSI will then send you an eligibility postcard to the address you have on file with TDLR. The postcard contains instructions for scheduling and paying for your examination.

3. Where do I get more information about the examinations?

PSI’s Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) contains all the information you need for your examination.

4. What are the Examination Fees?

Examination fees are published in the Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) and are paid directly to the examination vendor, PSI.

5. What identification do I take to the examination?

You must have a VALID government-issued photo identification card. Please see the Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) for policies and procedures regarding ID’s and other important information.

6. How many times and how often can I take the examination?

If you fail the exam you will be able to reschedule, pay and take the exam again and as many times as you want. Examinations are available daily throughout Texas. If an examination is required for your next renewal, you must pass the examination or your registration cannot be renewed.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

How many Continuing Education (CE) hours do I need to renew my certification?
What is the “state laws and rules update course?”
How do I verify my continuing education credits?
I recently became certified, when am I required to begin accumulating CEs?
How is completion of my educational course/program recorded and retained?
I am conducting a continuing education course, how do I get it approved for continuing education credit?

1. How many Continuing Education (CE) hours do I need to renew my certification?

All continuing education requirements contain;

(a) two (2) hours in professional ethics, and

(b) a state laws and rules update course (the number of hours for the laws and rules update course is set by the Comptroller after each legislative session).

In addition to the two (2) hours in professional ethics and the State laws and rules update course, RPAs are required to take seven (7) hours in USPAP.
Continuing education credit must be completed during the 24 month period before the expiration of the license to earn the required 30 CE hours for Certified Appraisers (RPA) and Assessors Collectors (RTA), or ten (10) CE hours for Certified Collectors (RTC). Expiration dates can be found your registration certificate.

If you achieved your certification before the deadline date, continuing education is not required until the second renewal after your certification deadline date.
Required courses must be taken every other year.

An Example for RPA’s and RTA’s:

Sally is a certified RPA with an expiration date of Jun 10, 2012. To renew, she is required to complete 30 hours of CE from Jun 10, 2010 to Jun 10, 2012. If Sally completes 10 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2010 and Jun 10, 2011, and 20 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2011 and Jun 10, 2012, she will be able to renew Jun 10, 2012. Since Sally completed 20 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2011 and Jun 10, 2012, she only needs to complete 10 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2012 and Jun 10, 2013 to renew at her next expiration date on Jun 10, 2013.

An Example for RTC’s:

Bill is a certified RTC with an expiration date of Jan 30, 2012. To renew that license he is required to complete 10 hours of CE from Jan 30, 2010 to Jan 30, 2012. If Bill completes 5 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2010 and Jun 10, 2011, and 5 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2011 and Jun 10, 2012, he will be able to renew Jun 10, 2012. Since Bill completed 5 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2011 and Jun 10, 2012, he only needs to complete 5 hours of CE between Jun 10, 2012 and Jun 10, 2013 to renew at his next expiration date on Jun 10, 2013.

There is always an overlapping 12-month period where CEs are counted for renewals in consecutive years.

TDLR recommends accumulating a minimum of ½ of the required CE courses each year. For the RPA and RTA=15 hours per year, for RTC=5 hours per year.

2. What is the “state laws and rules update course?”

The “state laws and rules update course” is defined after each legislative session. The “update course” requirements will be published and providers must submit program/course material to PTAD for approval (Education Approval). Continuing or core education courses containing the words laws and rules in the title do not fulfill the “state saws and rules Update” requirement.

The requirements for the “update course” will remain effective until the next legislative session is over and the cycle begins again.

3. How do I verify my continuing education credits?

Your continuing education credits can be viewed at the PTP Continuing Education web page and then click on "Check the CE courses you have taken."

To verify your credit for the “State Laws and Rules Update Course” look on the above web page then the third column to the left from the extreme right and see at least a 2 hour entry. If there is not an entry in the column then you do not have credit.

4. I recently became certified, when am I required to begin accumulating CEs?

If you achieved your certification before the deadline date, continuing education is not required until the second renewal after your certification deadline date.
TDLR recommends accumulating a minimum of ½ of the required CE courses each year. For the RPA and RTA=15 hours per year, for RTC=5 hours per year.

5. How is completion of my educational course/program recorded and retained?

The reporting of continuing education hours is the responsibility of the provider. The provider is asked to post education credits seven days after the course completion. If your courses have not been reported, contact the provider.

6. I am conducting a continuing education course, how do I get it approved for continuing education credit?

The Property Tax Assistance Division (PTAD) of the Comptroller of Public Accounts approves all content for PTP continuing education courses.

The education provider must submit the course outline or syllabus to PTAD education for approval at least 30 or 90 days prior to holding the educational course depending on the content. When the course is approved, the Comptroller’s office will notify the provider and TDLR.

To record the attendees to the educational courses in TDLR’s database, the education provider must be registered with TDLR as a provider (Core or Continuing Education). Information about this process and application forms may be found on TDLR's website.

Information and forms regarding approval from PTAD for continuing education programs are available on the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts website.

ENFORCEMENT

1. How do I file a complaint against a Property Tax Professional?

If your complaint is related to the appraised value of your property, policies and procedures of the taxing authorities or conflicts with an appraisal board/tax office, go to the Texas State Comptrollers website. This website will answer many questions relating to Texas property taxes including how to protest and resolve property tax issues.

If your complaint is within the scope of registration, education, a breach of the Property Tax Professionals code of ethics, or conflicts of interest, go to Complaints and complete the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) online complaint form. You can also download the Complaint Form. Mail it to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Attn: Enforcement-Intake, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, TX 78711. Please include copies of all documentation related to the complaint.

COMMUNICATION

Where can I get a copy of the law and rules?
How will I be notified of rule and program changes?
How do I contact the agency for further information?

1. Where can I get a copy of the law and rules pertaining to the Property Tax Professionals?

The Property Tax Professionals Occupations Code and the Administrative Rules are available online.

2. How will I be notified of rule and program changes?

You will receive notification of rule and program changes if you sign up for the TDLR E-Mail Notification list. We recommend you subscribe to this service as soon as possible to receive updated information.

3. How do I contact the agency for further information?

Direct all of your questions and comments to cs.tax.professionals@license.state.tx.us.

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